I've had Welcome to the Canteen forever and play it rather frequently. Today, record shopping, I found a copy for a friend. While cleaning it, I noticed that the label was slightly different than mine. As you can see one of them says TRAFFIC, ETC., the other doesn't. The runouts are the same except there are etched in dates that are different. TRAFFIC, ETC. has a date of 8-6-71 on side 2, no date on side 1. The other has as side one date of 8-16 and side 2 is etched 9-1. I think these are from two different pressing plants or were pressed at different dates at the same plant.
Does anyone know why the earlier dated one specifically calls it TRAFFIC? There was a contractual dispute on this which is why it was not sold as a Traffic album. Possibly a dig back at the label?
Until now, I didn't know this existed and can't find anything about it on the net. And my friend scored big today, not me. I found a 10 years after album (Cricklewood Green) and he gets the Traffic with the extra on the label, Pink Floyd Umagumma original and CSNY Deja Vu. I already have the others so for going shopping for him, he owes me a beer.

This is a live album originally released on Island. There was no name on the cover (spine and back only). re-released in 2001, 2002 and 2008
I have the first 4 Traffic albums on Island as they were originally released.

This looks like an error. The first seems to be missing a credit that was quickly corrected on the second issue, Records, like books have first or early editions and it is not unknown for these to be subject to errors and correction. Often the people making the records and setting the type don't always know all they should and make errors. It is not usual to withdraw the errors because each copy is money ,so, instead they are usually corrected quickly with the next batch. The early errors are often collectable, depending upon the artist. :D

That's what I was thinking, the date on the extra ink is 10 days earlier than the one marked on my album. All this time I thought I had a first printing but apparently, I was just a little late. I did buy mine in 71, right after I heard the album at a party, just not quite soon enough.

Yes ...you might not have a first pressing but you might have a first "batch" ...Some think somehow of a first set of plates used ...batch made then the next. Often this is not the case ...in the US there are many copies needed and so many machines are used. This means many stampers may be used and so the 1A/!B copies might not be the only ones produced in the first batch. 2A@B etc may well be pressed at the same time and this can go on. The US has several plants and this can go on in each.....so in theory you could have many "first pressings" of a big album. Quality control can be done with the presses rolling and if you spot a mistake you can't just stop ....a change takes time and time is money plus stopping is not just a button press...You also have damage limitation in play...You have to weigh the costs of when to correct against lost production.....The situation can be quite complex....add in several plants etc and you begin to see how quite a few copies get through and how slow change could be....

If this was just a label swap, the actual vinyl won't be affected. I can see where it took 10 days to reprint and repopulate to drop off the TRAFFIC part. Production just keeps going until the new label arrives.?